Indonesia security forces shoot Papua protesters, four dead

At least four people have been killed in Indonesia's volatile Papua region in clashes between protesters and security forces, according to the police and the chief security affairs minister.

Authorities said a protest over the alleged abuse of a child turned violent in the capital of Paniai district, Enarotali, early on Monday with the police opening fire after being attacked by protesters.

"According to the chief of police, there were a bunch of people fighting the authorities," chief security affairs minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno said.

"The authorities defended themselves, they [the protesters] were warned."

Papua police spokesman Sulistyo Pudjo Haryanto said four people had been killed in the clashes.

The Jakarta Globe said up to six people were killed and 26 injured.

Indonesian president Joko Widodo, who took office in late October, was informed of the incident by police.

The chief of the army and vice police chief are expected to arrive at the town, which is located in a remote area, on Tuesday.

Indonesia's Papua, which is home to one of the world's biggest copper mines, has a long history of violent civil unrest.

A low-level insurgency for independence has simmered on Indonesia's easternmost island for decades and the new president has pledged more equitable growth in the area.

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